Reason
by sue-sylvester-shuffle
Summary: (Hawk/Margaret AU of 5x4) Hawkeye has been temporarily blinded. Margaret is optimistic that he will make a full recovery, but Hawkeye himself is not so sure. (HAWK/MARGARET.)


**AN:** So this is sort of an AU of 5x4, 'Out of Sight, Out of Mind'. The premise of the episode is still the same in this fic, it just includes an established Hawkeye/Margaret relationship, meaning that they are officially a couple in this story. A small portion of dialogue from the episode is near the end of this fic, where Hawkeye gets his bandages off. Enjoy!

xXx

It was a rather cold day in the 4077th. Margaret was glad to have a thick sweater on, and to be walking arm-in-arm with Hawkeye Pierce. His side was warm up against hers.

Although the two of them were dating, she wouldn't normally be comfortable going around the camp linking her arm with his. This time, however, she had a reason. He couldn't see, and she was escorting him so he wouldn't trip and get hurt.

It had been a day since Hawkeye had been temporarily blinded while trying to fix the nurses' stove. Margaret had been jolted awake that night by the howls of pain that she had immediately recognized as his. She'd run out of her tent, heart pounding so hard against her ribs she thought there'd be bruising there in the morning. For a few moments, her world had stopped moving. _What if Hawkeye had been shot?_ It had been a horrible thought, but at war, you could never really dismiss those things. An image had wormed its way into her mind, of the dark-haired surgeon, lying on the ground with blood staining his uniform like red wine. Margaret had shuddered and willed the thought away. Thankfully, Hawkeye had been in much better shape than she'd expected. Yes, he was blind, but the optometrist they'd brought in, Major Overman, was positive that he would regain his sight in a matter of days. She was feeling optimistic as well.

"Where are you taking me?" asked Hawkeye. He was joking around as usual, but there was an undertone of fear in his voice. Margaret tried not to take it personally, as it was most likely just the fear that came with losing one of your senses.

"To my tent." she told him. And then, as an afterthought, she added, "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried." said Hawkeye. "I'm with you, Margaret. Aren't I? Or is this just someone who can do a _very_ good impression of you?"

"It's me." Margaret promised. She continued to lead him across the dusty ground, until they reached her tent. She pushed the door open. "Head down, Hawkeye, the door's quite low."

"Thanks."

She held the door open for him as he slowly felt his way through the entrance of her tent. Once they were inside, she grabbed hold of his arm again and helped him over to her bed. Hawkeye sat down slowly, and she sat down beside him. He reached up and felt around in the air until his hand finally touched her cheek. "You look lovely today, Margaret." he joked. "Or at least, I'm sure you do."

The nurse chuckled. "For all you know, I could be covered in dirt right now."

"We're all covered in dirt here, Margaret." replied Hawkeye, smirking.

A smile came to Margaret's lips. She reached up, brushed some of his dark hair off of his forehead, and tugged a bit at the bandages wrapped around his eyes. "Are the bandages comfortable, Hawkeye?" she asked.

"They're fine."

"And your eyes, do they still hurt?"

"A little." he admitted.

"Well, just keep in mind that this won't be forever." Margaret reminded him. "Major Overman will be back in less than a week to check your eyes, and I'm sure they'll be fine by then." She planted a gentle kiss on Hawkeye's cheek. He didn't smile.

"You think I'll still have my sight?" he asked. It was difficult not being able to read his eyes, but she could tell from his voice that he was worried.

"Of course I do." she replied firmly.

"And… Margaret?" he continued tentatively. "If I _do_ go blind permanently… will you still love me?"

The question took Margaret by surprise. More than the question itself, however, it was the fact that _he_ had asked it. Hawkeye Pierce was one of the most infuriatingly confident people she knew. To hear him sound so insecure and hesitant was almost jarring.

"Of course I will, Hawkeye." Margaret said. She took his hands in her own and squeezed them. "I love you. Whatever happens won't change that."

A wide grin spread across his face. She only wished that she could see his eyes as well. They really lit up when he smiled.

"I love you too, Margaret." responded Hawkeye, sounding relieved. "I want to kiss you. Where are you?"

"Right here." Margaret whispered. She leaned in and pressed her lips to Hawkeye's. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed back. Margaret pulled him closer to her, as warmth spread throughout her body. In that moment, she thought back to when he'd been injured. She found herself incredibly glad that he was okay.

"I bet you're wondering why you ever wasted your time with Frank Burns, right?" asked Hawkeye teasingly between kisses.

A grin spread across Margaret's face. "I wonder that every single day." she said.

He beamed, and pressed his lips to hers again.

xXx

Margaret waited with bated breath as Major Overman slowly removed the bandages from Hawkeye's face. There was a crowd around the injured Captain, including herself, Klinger, Frank, BJ, Colonel Potter, Radar, and a small band of nurses.

"Now Hawkeye, shade your eyes." Major Overman told him. Hawkeye did as he was told. "Now open them slowly." continued the Major.

Hawkeye gingerly drew his hand away from his face. From behind him, Margaret could only see him looking at his hand. Whether he was _seeing_ it or not, she didn't know.

"Well?" Major Overman prompted him.

Hawkeye stared for a few moments longer. Finally, he spoke. "Five, right?"

A relieved smile spread across Major Overman's face. "Yeah." he replied.

Hawkeye chuckled. "They work!" he announced.

The crowd behind him clapped and cheered. Margaret was finally able to breathe again. She leaned down toward Hawkeye, patting him on the shoulder and beaming. He reached up and pulled her in. Their lips met. Surprise and joy sped through the nurse's body, just as a few voices behind them started hollering and catcalling. She ignored them. Hawkeye could see. It was a miracle, and she didn't care who saw them together. Unlike her relationship with Frank Burns, her relationship with Hawkeye was something she was not embarrassed of. Mostly she disliked the feeling of everyone knowing about her personal life, but this was one chapter she didn't mind them knowing about.

"I'm so glad I can see you again, Margaret." murmured Hawkeye once he pulled away. "I don't know what I would do if I couldn't see your face every day."

"Oh, get a room." sneered Frank.

"Shut up, Frank." said BJ and Colonel Potter at the same time.

Hawkeye laughed. "All of your faces. I love all of them. Even yours, Frank."

Frank grumbled something under his breath and stormed off. Once he was gone, BJ patted Hawkeye on the shoulder. "I'm glad you're okay." he told his fellow surgeon.

"Thanks, man." Hawkeye grinned in response.

"Yeah, it's really great!" added Radar. "I wouldn't have wanted you to have to go. I really like you, Hawk, sir!"

"I really like you too, Radar." replied Hawkeye sincerely.

Radar's words made Margaret realize something. The Corporal was right; if Hawkeye _had_ gone blind permanently, he would most likely have been discharged from the army and sent back home. Then what would happen to their relationship?

She didn't bother dwelling on it. That hadn't been the outcome.

Colonel Potter shook Margaret from her thoughts by suggesting, "What do you say we leave you kids alone for now?" He looked from Hawkeye to Margaret and back again. "Go on and celebrate a little."

"All right. Thank you, Colonel." Margaret nodded politely to her Commanding Officer, but there was still a wide smile on her face. She and Hawkeye got to their feet, and left Post-Op together.

It was another cool day in the 4077th. Margaret didn't have her sweater on, but Hawkeye's gaze was warm enough to keep her comfortable. Their arms were linked again, but this time, she didn't need a reason.

end


End file.
